Road to 600 - Post 590 - Of teachers and two lists

Another 100 and another milestone. Full2 Faltu will complete 600 post in a few days and as per the tradition I started during the 400th post, I am inviting guest writers to write on Full2 Faltu. I had requested 10 writers to write for Full2 Faltu. The best part is that 11 people agreed to take the task. So for the next 11 post, it will be 11 writers writing on 11 different topics.

There are first time writers and some of them have been writing for some time now. I hope you like what you read and please do comment. They would love that! I hope I see more comments for these writers.

The earlier writer

Snigdha

Sachin

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Deepa has been a reader for a long time. Other than that she is a regular blogger herself.

The reason she blogs as she explains in her blog is;

I normally blog about what is uppermost in my mind, whether a memory or an experience, a news event or a business observation. So I cannot say what will always be my topic. While I love strategy topics, ICT, development issues, nature & environment, and knowledge management- which is my work- I will write about some of the things I care about.

Here she talks about teachers and strangely some unusual teachers. Quite an interesting thought to ponder upon.

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Of teachers and two lists

The movie Tare Zameen Par recently brought into focus the role teachers play in our life.

Teachers have a special place in our learning and growth. They are liked, disliked or revered and in some manner, either positive or negative- they transform us.

For instance, in school I used to not hate maths as a subject till we got a new teacher to whom I took a strong dislike. It did not start that way and did not have to do with the classroom either. What happened is that after school, she used to travel in the same school bus with us and she would make other children in the bus get up so she could sit and also give one more place to her daughter (who was in my class). So even if the girl was late and the last one to get in, she always got the best seat to sit only because she was the teachers daughter. And sometimes one of us, who reached early and stood in queue ( i.e. followed the rules) would go standing at least till someone got off and a seat got free.

I never mentioned why I disliked her to anyone except maybe casually one day mention it in passing to my mother who laughed it off. I don’t think it registered on her just how deep my dislike went. Try as much as I could and even though my parents could not fathom why my marks suddenly were slipping, I could not get beyond it. I just could not pay attention to what she would speak in class as all the time I was angry. She was new and fat and old and grumpy. To my childish mind at that time she did not have anything much to recommend her on any other count .

From, I hate the math teacher it then became - I hate maths. Of course, the only one who suffered was me as my marks would be affected and the final results were bad to the great sorrow of my parents. This one example from school days comes to mind, especially as I loved all my other teachers and subjects and they loved me too and I owe almost all that I am today to my teachers.

But teachers are not only confined to school and college classrooms.

As we go on in life, we are either teaching or learning or seeking. In the form of a guru, a mentor or even a role- model to look up to, who will have all answers, guide and comfort us and validate our notions. So we have our teachers throughout life. Teachers whom we revere, follow and sometimes even zealously convert others to follow them. Persons, ideas, schools, philosophies, nature- the list is endless. It may be the kind old lady who speaks in a soothing voice. Or a wise man with a flowing beard who speaks gems of wisdom. Or a brilliant mind that spouts visionary thoughts. Or some see nature as teacher and seek to learn from it - the wind, the trees and the birds and animals.

After formal education, this list of teachers in life is List no.1

But if we look around and pause and think, then there is another list too which emerges.

A sister who is annoying. That back-biting colleague who infuriates; the lady in the neighborhood who never misses a chance for malicious gossip. A boss who never rewards, a co-worker who steals credit for your work, the neighborhood vendor who over charges, the unkind spouse, the unfriendly teller at the bank or supermarket. The road hog, the surly maid. And close ones who break your heart.

That becomes List no.2

Hence, who ever may torment, harass, confound or upset is also a teacher. Not because they are wise. But because we seek to become so.

Unfortunately as a school student I did not understand that my anger towards my math teacher would hurt only me. And since I did not confide in any one, any advice or guidance which may have helped was not available to me either.

However, the lessons in life we learn later need not be so unfortunate and are often very useful. Either in our own personal experience or by simply watching others.

For instance, I learnt that ‘blood is thicker than water’ is not always true. It can be that family is often only ‘relatives’ and friends are the family we choose for ourselves. Without going into much details, the lesson I learnt was that it does not matter how many times someone says, “I love you” or how they are related to one. Repeating sweet words is not as valuable as someone who may never say it but is at your side in a time of need .

We are taught in childhood proverbs like ‘ Friend in need is friend indeed’ and ‘Actions speak louder than words’ but the real learning comes only much later.

My post was nothing to do with the movie, but just that while life’s lessons are what we gather from experience and much of this kind of learning that is beyond formal education is ‘caught’ and not ‘taught’ – Teachers - they are all around us.

One never knows who will be next in the List no 2 and what will be the lesson.